Last week’s heavy snowfall appears to be just what the doctor ordered for tourism traffic in the critical week between Christmas and New Year’s.

“I’m extremely happy,” said Executive Director Linda Hoath of the Sault Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “We’re getting ready for it. It should be a great weekend coming up.”

Hoath said with more than a foot on the ground there should be plenty of snow for those who wish to enjoy their favorite recreational activities. Minneapolis Woods, which features downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding and tubing runs was able to open on Sunday and snowmobile trails throughout the region are up and operational.

“We’re hearing good reports,” said Hoath, admitting she won’t have hard numbers on the tourist traffic until sometime in January.

President Martin Cottle of the Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association said that 85-90 percent of the trail system is in fair to good condition.

“There are still some wet areas,” he said, “spots that aren’t frozen over yet.”

Cottle urged snowmobilers to head west of the Sault as that portion of the trail has plenty of snow and ice. He said the stretch from the Sault to Kinross does have some wet areas as does the section from Kinross to Raco.

The groomers report, which can be accessed via the Internet at sootrails.org, reveals that Trail #8 from the Sault to Raco is in good condition with 2-5 inches of snow throughout its length. Other portions of the large snowmobile trail network, however, are experiencing water hazards and will until colder weather tightens everything up.

In an unusual twist, Hoath said that a pending blizzard in the Lower Peninsula may actually drive people up here in the coming days. While it may seem counter-intuitive, Hoath said the folks in those downstate areas well may get the urge to get out and ride their machines — getting away from their own snow-covered properties because “they don’t have the trails; they don’t have the things that we have.”